The Mutant Chronicles
by LurkerLordX
Summary: Shredder a hero? Tiger April? What is going on in the world of the ninja turtles!
1. The return of the Catwoman from Channel ...

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The return of the Catwoman from Channel 6

Story Notes: This fic takes pace some time after "Rebel without A Fin." As it stands now April has been turned into a mutant cat, mutant fish, mutant wasp, poisoned by a lotus and numerous other adventures with the turtles. 

The Big Apple sleeps, April is resting in her bed as a shadowy figure stalks into around outside. April starts awake roused by the rustling outside. 

"Who's there?" she says as she rises out of her bed and slips on her robe. 

Cautiously she heads for her door to investigate, peeking out, nervously she begins to breathe a little rapidly. The shadow steps into view, April shrieks but it quickly subsides as the figure is revealed as Leonardo. 

"Leonardo what are you doing here! [Cough]"

"Shredder just came through here, the other turtles are on him but I wanted to check to make sure he didn't try to kidnap or hurt you again."

"I'm fine [Coughing]"

"Are you sure, you look a little pale"

"[Coughing continues] Well I do feel a little cold."

"Get some rest alright?" 

April nodded and headed back to bed as Leonardo rushed off after the others. As day broke on the next day April sat up rubbing her stomach and coughing, she was freezing and every muscle ached. Dragging herself out of bed she staggered over to her bathroom, a trail of hair falling on the floor in her wake. She looked up into the mirror and it took a moment for things to sink in. She looked like a corpse, pale of skin, eyes sunken into the sockets, hair starting to fall out. Her skin hung loose. Before she could gasp she barreled over the sink and began coughing up blood. 

Just then the turtle communicator went off, April reached for it but it slipped out of her frail hands, bouncing off the floor it sprung open. For a moment there was snow on the screen but in a moment or two Donatello appeared on the screen. 

"April we…April are you alright?" asked the turtle interrupting himself as he saw her condition.

"I don't feel well Donatello," April meekly stated before she collapsed to the floor and passed out. 

April came around in her bed with Irma standing over her looking concerned. She tried to sit up but her body refused to obey. 

"You need to rest April, I told Vernon you were sick, he was pretty angry but you know Vernon. The Turtles came over and filled me in."

"What...Tur…"

"Don't try to speak, you need to rest, the Turtles said you very sick, but their searching for medicine you'll be fine." 

April could tell, despite Irma's attempts, that this was no light virus, this was terminal, she paused for a moment to digest her thoughts, this was fatal. April O'Neil is going to die. She slipped back to sleep but not before she heard Irma mutter "DNA failure." 

April awoke to the sounds of many voices, and as she opened her eyes and saw the camera crew crowded around her bed she thought. "Of course, the great April O'Neil dying, that's a media circus." She groaned and pulled the covers over her head trying to drone out the sounds of the inane chatter thinking, "Am I this brash with others?" Suddenly there was a crash; she jerked up only to see Shredder looming over her. He tossed her jumpsuit over to her as the mutants and Foot intimidated the camera crew and scarred off the others. April grabbed the clothes and dragged them under the covers changing as best she could. 

"Watch closely Ms. O'Neil, I'm about to save your life" Shredder glared at the Camera crew to keep filming. "I tire of these shadow games, the Ninja Turtle have wrecked havoc on the innocents of this city far to long, and now their trying to kill you. I can not let that be."

"Tin plated creep, you're the virus in this town!"

"I'm hurt Ms. O'Neil, still, I imagine those turtle have you quite snowed. FOOT SOLIDIERS BRING HER IN!" 

April leapt out of bed as a foot dragged in a savage tiger into the bedroom, and brought it over to April. From behind him Shredder produced a vial of the mutagen that produced the Turtles. April gasped and tried to stand but was too weak. Shredder Swiftly grabbed a handful of fur from the tiger and sprinkled it on April's head then dismissed the Foot with the tiger off. With the tiger gone he poured the vile on April's head. Just then the Turtles burst in and drove Shredder, the foot, and the mutants off. The camera crew remained behind and continued to film confused. April gasped and stood up arching her back sharply. She grunted in pain and sweated profusely as suddenly her skin tightened back up to normal, her nails became clear and healthy, not clouded and brittle, her face filled out and flushed with color and her eyes became healthy not sunken. Several minutes passed as she waited for more changes. She rushed into the bathroom, the camera crew following, and inspected herself in the mirror. There were some cosmetic changes. Her hair was more of an orange color but was fuller and thicker then before, and was much longer, actually reaching down to her hips. She inspected her mouth to find minor fangs, her eyes were oddly shaped, more felines like, and her ears with a little pointed. But other then these minor changes she was completely human, it seemed. She stood there confused, could she be wrong about Shredder and the Turtles?

To be continued…


	2. Shredder Industries

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Shredder Industries

Shredder grinned as he sat in his throne at his hideout. He brought up Kang on the Trans-Dimensional Communicator and as the brain-alien formed he smirked again, hidden under his metal mask.

"All is going according to plan Kang, they Neo-Mutagen 'saved' Ms. O'Neil, of course it wasn't to hard, with all the mutations her body has been exposed two it was easy to induce another on a slow build. The virus I gave her last night that accelerated her already slowly deteriorating case can't be traced back to me. And even if it is all I did was accelerate April's own fate. [He chuckled evilly] and now thanks to the Mutagen I've painted the Turtles as the enemy and me as the hero."

"Excellent Shredder, how long until you can get the Thunderdrome out of Dimension X."

"That's the beauty, once I'm perceived as the hero I'll have access to all of earth's resources in no time. Give it a few days Krang. If all goes according to plan Rocksteady and Bebop won't be our only mindless drones."

April growled Shredder was up to something, she knew that but people were already falling for his deception. She needed to prove the Turtles were the heroes. They were already on film from Shredder's incident. April sat behind the wheel of the van with her crew behind her, slowly the van halted as it turned down an alleyway. 4 shelled figures exited the shadows toward the news van, April exited the van to greet them. Nervously the camera crew exited and turned on their light illuminating the turtles.

"Don't be frightened guys, these are the Ninja Turtles, the real heroes, begin rolling."

"[Clears throat] This is April O'Neil with the interview of the century," she began as the taping indicator light came on the camera. "I have with me today the infamous turtles who attacked Shredder the other day in my home. [Turning back to the turtles.] Now Turtles please tell our viewers about your exploits with Shredder…"

And so the turtles began recanting the stories of their adventures, if the deadly Shredder, of their origins, of Splinter. And after they finished April turned back to the camera.

"In the coming weeks I am going to uncover the truth of Shedder, for you see he has been working in the shadows hurting innocent lives for years, stay tuned to Channel 6 as we uncover the truth behind the man offering the cure to all terminal diseases. Stay tuned as we reveal that Shredder isn't the hero he paints himself to be. This is April O'Neil, signing out!"

Over the next few days April became a media star as she blitzed the world with shocking revelations, all the mutants and allies the Turtles had met, all the humans who knew the truth one by one came before April's camera. And Before Shredder knew it his plan had fallen to pieces, mutants walked the streets in broad daylight. They were an instinctive repulsion but they were generally well accepted. April was rocketed to the seat of her own Talk show as she continued to reveal the secrets. Angrily Shredder brooded; his plan had backfired big time. And it was time to pay the Piper. He grinned malevolently and stood up as a brilliant plan formed.

To be continued…


	3. Evolution of a Talk Show Hostess

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Evolution of a Talk Show Hostess

April sighed ever since the mutagen incident that apparently did nothing more then beef her up physically she's has a pride of alley cats following her home. As a talk show host she was able to afford a new apartment, one that allowed pats so it wasn't so bad. But for some reason she felt ill today. Dragging herself in her door the cat mewling about her feet she pulled herself over to the fridge and opened the door. The fridge was filled with chicken, fish burgers and other meats and lots of milk. She hasn't really had toe appetite for anything else lately. Pulling out a carton of milk she ripped open the top and dropped it to the floor. The White liquid spilled out on the linoleum and the cats rushed to lap it up. Grabbing another carton she walked over to her couch and collapsed back onto it. Leaning back she open the second carton and began chugging from the contents. Milk ran down her cheeks and along her jumpsuit until the entire carton was empty. Casually she tossed the carton aside and looked at the mess she made of herself. She sat back up and was about to take a shower when the doorbell rang, suddenly she looked disheartened as she remembered she was going to be interviewed today. She made her way to the door and opened it, but what she didn't expect was for the newsman to be Vernon! Before she could react the cameral was rolling and Vernon opened his mouth.

"This is Vernon with April O'Neil of Channel 6…[Vernon abruptly stopped his introduction] April are you all right?"

"Just a little tired Vernon."

April momentarily glanced down and stared at her hand, her nails really needed to be clipped. Once again Vernon asked if she was all right, she growled annoyed, it didn't sound human. Vernon pointed to April's ears a moment and she felt up for them. They had grown several inches longer and were broader then before. The world began to spin and April took a few steps back as did Vernon, the cameraman kept rolling.

April began to blink rapidly as her eyes began to shift about, as they became feline. She bent forward grunting as her teeth got progressively sharper. "What's going on?" April bent down as the camera continued to roll and tried to loosen her boots. Quickly looked behind her and felt her back as a fur-covered tail quickly grew out. "What the?!?!" She began to breathe quickly as she began to panic. Her eyes glanced back down at her hand, which was beginning to thicken at the palm and stiffen. She lurched forward onto her arms and grunted, as they became pawlike. Across her body a think layer of orange and black striped fur began to sprout. Her ears slide their way up the side of her head and began to thin out until they sat atop her head like a tiger's ears; they twitched reflexively. Just then the toes of her boots burst open exposing a clawed toe. Soon the other 4 clawed toes followed them. The foot continued to stretch out rending the boots apart. 5 toes quickly merged into 4 while simultaneously her hands lost a digit. The hair soon grew out into a full blow pelt and she kept herself propped up on the floor on her hands and feet. Her legs began to change neck, the foot stretching out and the lower portion of the leg thinning out into digigrade kind legs. April continued to grunt. She arched her head up inadvertently staring into the cameral as her face stretched out into a muzzle. Her head dropped back down as her arm finished up their paw-like transformation. Slowly she stood up shaking her body a little to get her bearings. Her clothes were torn full of holes from the changes. Her body was even better built. And April O'Neil was an anthropomorphic tiger, an Adult Mutant Journalist Tiger! Her mind flooded for a moment with tiger instincts and for a moment she was lost to the beast. She growled loudly and charged toward the cameraman. Suddenly there was a crash as Shredder burst in and came up behind April slapping on a mind control collar around her neck. Immediately April fell docile and squatted to the ground. Shredder petted her absentmindedly as he addressed the camera.

"You see, mutant's are a threat, they took my cure and turned April into a monster. I was forced to use a device to make her controllable."

"B…but the other mutants weren't wild," stammered Vernon as he got up his courage.

"How do you know? Those broadcast were pre planed, but as you can see here on this life show something those mutants did has driven April wild.

To be continued…


	4. Mutant Rise

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Mutant Rise

Shredder sat on his throne, April squatting at his left side grooming her fur. The control collar was a wonder; it suppressed April's humanity except when he needed it. She was for all intents and purposes his guard "dog," obedient, loyal, and intelligent, when need be. He smirked; his plan didn't go as well as he hoped the world was no confused as to whom was the hero, Shredder or the Turtles. Still a few sought him out, and his Foot soldiers brought those curious humans before him. These humans were terminally ill, dying, and Regardless of weather they would become feral or not Shredder could save their lives. So they sold their souls to the devil, and the devil gave them new bodies. Unlike April they would keep the phase one primer form for to long. The Tiger of full mutation was close proximity to Mutant Pheromones. And Rocksteady, Bebob, or April was always nearby. And so his ranks swelled, some even reveled in their powers and did not need to be controlled. Shredder stood up and tugged on April's chain leading her down the hall to inspect his troops. Flanked on either side by Foot he entered the war room and looks around at his new mutants. They were April the Tiger (C:F), Rocksteady the Rhino (U:M), Bebop the Warthog (U:M), Leon the Wolf (C:M), Devin the Lion (U:M), Aeiko the Bat (C:F), Theo the Rabbit (C:M), Xander the Elephant (C:M), Gado the Bear (U:M), Zoe the Mole (U:F), Susan the Panther (C:F), Sting the Jaguar (U:M), Adam the Hyena (U:M), Styx the Raccoon (U:F), Beth the Hedgehog (U:F), Rocko the Rat (C:M), Marina the Gorilla (U:F), Slit the Python (U:F), and Irving the Fox (C:M).

"Greetings my loyal mutants, today we bring back Kang to this dimension. Kang is a alien brain and the provider of much of our technology. If you impress me then I'll let you all have some 'personal time off.' [Shredder smirked and looked over at Devin then each of the voluntary male mutants] unless of course you would like to have your personal time with April now."

The mutant males howled back their enthusiasm, and Shredder smirked, April had been a thorn in his side for so long and now she was just a mindless slave. Beckoning the females and controlled males out of the room. The door closed and locked behind him leaving April at the mercy of those left behind. April sat obedient in the room, unable to do anything against orders due to the collar as the males closed in like a pack of wolves. One of the males grabbed he jacket and with a quick motion ripped it from April's shoulders. April shivered as he mind tried to assert control when suddenly the wall of the room caved in and as the dust settled the turtles leapt from the doors of the Turtle van charging in to save April. Quickly the 4 turned as the Turtles crashed in. Devin the Lion, Gado the Bear, Sting the Jaguar, and Adam the Hyena vs. 4 armored mutants; it was untrained raw power vs. highly trained defensive power. The Mutants charged like a pack at the turtles as April sat like a machine.

"Dude this is so unfair," jokes Michelangelo.

"Tell me about it, we are so gonna mop the floor with these losers," finished Rapheal.

"With Gado strength, not likely turtle soup," threatened Adam as he cackled like a hyena.

And so the battle was begun, Devin took after Leonardo, who thrusted with his swords afraid to draw blood, being no killer himself. Devin was under no such restriction as he bounded onto Leonard slashing his claws at Lenardo's left arm. Leo leapt back as blood spilled from the wounds and dropped one of his swords as he fell back.

"Don't force me to kill you."

"You don't have the guts!"

Donatello faced off against the Bear, and was proving his skill with the bow vs. the slightly slower bear. With deft use of his bow he kept the bear off balance as he crashed to the floor after each sweep of the bo. Finally the battle was over as the bear hit the ground for the 5th time and Donetello hammered him with a elbow to the chest which knocked the wind out of him for quite some time.

Mikey took after the Jaguar and but found himself out match as he came in close to attack he received a fence swipe that barely registered on his chest shell. But his opening came the Sting was distracted by the KO of Gado, with a triumphant "COWABUNGA!" Michalengello leapt at the Jaguar and Sting turned back around just in time to see a pair of feet slam into his chest and send him flying into a wall. Sting was out cold.

Rapheal was left with laughing boy, just stood there cackling like the hyena he was and dodging every move Rapheal threw at him. They may not have been skilled but they were lucky. Raph looked over at Leo who was being savagely attacked by the lion and he realized just what they were up against. These weren't like their normal fare of enemy they were willing to kill. And only he had the guts to do what he knew must me done. Ducking his head into his shell to avoid a claw slash he struck out savagely and slammed one of his sais into the arm of the Hyena, Adam griped it in pain whining and Raph hurled his other weapon at Devin, the sai planting itself deep in his side. The 3 turtles looked shocked in Raph but it did not last long, descending like ninja the trios incapacitated the other two. As Raph retrieved his Sais Donetello treated their wounds. Leo cast a disapproving glance at Rapheal who reacted simple with:

"What?! It had to be done."

"Dude, that was just so uncool, we do not draw blood."

"Whatever." Snorted Raph as he flipped Mikey off.

Slowly the 4 walked toward April who bared her fangs and got into an attacking stance. Then suddenly April leaped at them. Rapheal and Mikey quickly grabbed her as she tried to claw Donetello. Donetello looked shocked for a moment before Leonardo quickly slashed at the collar and it fell to the ground sparking. April continued to hiss for several moments before regaining her composure. Just then Shredder burst throng the door to investigate the commotion, Dazed April looked around confused as Donetello quickly grabbed her and the Ninja Turtle bolted for the van and speed off leaving a cursing Shredder in their dust.


	5. Crouching Turtle, Hidden Tiger

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Crouching Turtle, Hidden Tiger

April was furious, Shredder had destroy all her work to get the mutants accepted, turned her into a mindless slave and now he had deluded enough people to increase his ranks and had a small army of mutants to compliment his robotic foot soldiers. Each day humanity became increasingly more aggressive toward mutants, and April had become a pariah forced to live in the sewers with the turtles, her live above ground shattered. And worse of all she lost her favorite yellow jacket. April let out a low growl as she paced outside the turtles crashpad door when suddenly her ears picked up the sound of someone sneaking up behind her, instinctively she growled and stun around bearing her claws and fangs ready to pounce when she saw it was…

"Splinter!" April blushed as she stood down looking rather sheepish. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't…scare you."

"It's alright my child, you have great survival instincts, but lack the knowledge on how to apply it." Splinter was terrified, instinctually fearful of the big cat but he was a Ninja Master and showed no outward signs of his fear, not even a stutter. Yet April could read the fear in his eyes.

"So…What brings you out here?"

"I can sense your anger, you seek to get revenge on Shredder."

"Well…ya, can you blame me?"

"I can not, but you must know it is suicide to go out as you are."

"What are you getting at Splinter?"

"Ever observant, yes I have a purpose to this line of thought. If you plan to face Shredder you must be ready to _face_ Shredder, in combat. April are you prepared to train your body and mind for such a task."

"You don't mean?"

"I do, are you willing to train as a ninja?"

April chuckled "As long as I don't have to wear a bandanna, knee/elbow pads, and a belt with a A on it as my only attire."

Splinter snickers "That is your choice."

And so the training began, the Turtles continued to surface to thwart the plots of Shredder, and their mutant allies all moved to share the same sewers. After only a scant 3 months April was among them as a Ninja Tiger. But the world had changed. It was a new world order, Shredder's mutants were savage, and only Raph has the guts to draw blood. Can the Turtle survive such a savage new enemy?


End file.
